The 2012 Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy (FPN) Research Symposium will be held from March 14th to 16th, 2012 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Chicago, IL. The FPN is a public foundation committed to fostering collaboration for peripheral neuropathy research among dedicated neuroscientists and physicians. Recently, it has established a National Registry of patients with Peripheral Neuropathy and has put together a research symposium that is unique in many respects. The 2012 FPN Research Symposium will bring together scientists and physicians working on all aspects of peripheral neuropathies, from basic science to translational research to clinical trials. The unique format of the meeting encourages open discussion to identify critical barriers to developing effective treatments for peripheral neuropathies. The participants are a mix of senior leaders in the field and young investigators. The small meeting will encourage informal interactions among all participants. The goal of the meeting is to identify actionable items that move the field forward in peripheral nerve regeneration, translational animal modeling and effective clinical trial design in peripheral neuropathies. The consensus from the meeting will be summarized in three published white papers.